Dr. Christian Schröder

Partner

Düsseldorf

[email protected]

Read full biography at www.orrick.com

Dr. Christian Schröder heads Orrick's IP/IT & Data Privacy Practice Group in Germany in Orrick’s Düsseldorf Office. Christian advises medium sized (Mittelstand) companies to large multinationals on IP, Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices, E-Commerce, IT and Data Privacy/Data Protection.

He is listed in Germany's leading lawyer ranking magazine JUVE as frequently recommended data privacy expert and clients recommend him to JUVE for his "reliable and actionable advice". Christian and his practice are also ranked by The Legal 500 Germany and The Legal 500 EMEA as well as Germany’s business journals WiWo and Handelsblatt for being among the leading German and European IT and data privacy practices (2019 and 2020), clients referred to him and his team as "Top data privacy expert", "extremely knowledgeable", and "able to explain complex legal issues in an easily understandable way so that both legal and economic decisions can be made". Christian Schröder is recommended for his "data protection expertise and quick comprehension as well as his entrepreneurial acumen."

Christian provides IP/IT advice in M&A transactions and advises on IP focused joint ventures. He supports companies on the set-up of webshops, outsourcings, license agreements, in cases of trademark or unfair and deceptive trade practice issues as well as on hard and software license and IT project agreements.

As a core member of Orrick's global Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation practice, Christian has a special focus on data privacy/data protection matters. In particular, Christian advises on privacy compliance programs, a risk-based approach to privacy, on implementing databases and new software applications, in particular, cloud based solutions. He advises on IT and data privacy contracts, internal data privacy policies, binding corporate rules, user agreements on BYOD, whistleblowing schemes, e-discovery, security breaches, and intra-group data sharing on a national and international basis. Christian regularly represents market leading clients in IT and data privacy contract negotiations and regularly defends companies against unfair access to their know-how by competitors and against unfair poaching of customers and employees.

Posts by: Christian Schröder

Have EU Employees? Beware: H&M Slapped with Massive GDPR Fine for Wrongful Processing of Employee Data, Despite Cooperation

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On October 1st, 2020, the Data Protection Authority of Hamburg (“DPA”) announced that it issued a massive EUR 35.3 million fine against the clothing company H&M Hennes & Mauritz Online Shop A.B. & Co. KG (“H&M”) for the alleged wrongful collection of data of a couple of hundred employees which related to their private life (the English press release can be accessed here). This is the highest fine that has ever been issued in Germany, sending a strong signal to companies to ensure they comply with the data protection law when they process employee data. READ MORE →

German Supervisory Authority Publishes First Substantive Guidance on International Data Transfers in the Post Schrems 2.0 Era

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On 16 July, 2020 the European Court of Justice (“CJEU”) published its decision invalidating the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and setting out enhanced requirements for using the so-called Standard Contractual Clauses for Processors (Decision 2016/1250 – “SCCs”) (judgement C-311/18 – “Schrems II”). See our previous blog on the Schrems II decision for further details. Shortly thereafter, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) adopted FAQs (see our follow-up blog post), which mainly focused on how to conduct the required risk assessment in connection with the SCCs. READ MORE →

AI Update: EU High-Level Expert Group Publishes Requirements for Trustworthy AI and European Commission Unveils Plans for AI Regulation

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Assessment List for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

On July 17, 2020, the European High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (“AI HLEG”) presented its final Assessment List for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (“ALTAI”), to help companies identify AI-related risks, minimize them and determine what active measures to take, through self-evaluation. READ MORE →

How to Comply with International Transfers – The Regulatory Guidance Overview on the “Schrems II” Decision

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EDPB and data protection authorities’ views and statements on the “Schrems II”- decision by the CJEU

 On 16 July, 2020, the European Court of Justice (“CJEU“) passed a decision invalidating the EU-US Privacy Shield and calling into question the Standard Contractual Clauses (“SCCs“) (judgement C-311/18 – “Schrems II“). The shockwaves of the decision were felt worldwide and companies are now scrambling to make sense of sometimes conflicting guidance published by various EU supervisory authorities. READ MORE →

Privacy Shield Sunk – SCCs Treading Water: What Can Companies Do to Keep Their Head Above Water

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Today the European Court of Justice (CJEU) published its highly anticipated judgement in the case of Data Protection Commissioner Ireland v Facebook Ireland Limited, Maximillian Schrems, colloquially known as “Schrems 2.0”. There were three key elements to the decision:

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Schrems 2.0 – The Next Big Blow for EU-US Data Flows? – What to Expect on Thursday, July 16th

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Whatever the outcome of Schrems 2.0, the key takeaway is, don’t panic.

Tomorrow, July 16, 2020, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) is expected to rule in the case of Data Protection Commissioner Ireland v Facebook Ireland Limited, Maximillian Schrems, colloquially known as “Schrems 2.0”.

The main ingredients haven’t changed much for this long-awaited sequel to the decision that invalidated the Safe Harbor regime in 2015: Austrian data protection activist Max Schrems, Facebook Ireland, Ltd, and another commonly used international personal data transfer mechanism on the chopping block for invalidation.

This time around the court is considering the validity of the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) adopted by the European Commission, which goes beyond EU-U.S. transfers and could affect most agreements governing data sharing between the EU and the rest of the world. Regardless of the outcome, tomorrow’s decision is going to have a profound impact on the way international data transfers are treated for years to come – but the key takeaway is not to panic. In this blog post, we have set out the three potential rulings open to the CJEU and what steps you can take to following such a ruling. READ MORE →

EDPB Tears Down Cookie Walls – Implementation of Cookies in Europe Becomes Even More Challenging

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On May 4, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”)—an independent body which ensures that the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) is consistently applied within the EU—has updated its guidelines on consent under the GDPR, clarifying its requirements regarding the GDPR compliant use of cookies on a website. READ MORE →

Guidance from E.U. Supervisory Authorities on Data Processing in a Time of COVID-19

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The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and a number of European data protection supervisory authorities have recently issued guidance on processing personal data, including special categories of personal data (i.e., health data), in connection with COVID-19. While the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) generally harmonizes data protection laws across Europe, E.U. Member States may derogate from the law in certain circumstances, including in matters of “public interest.” It is therefore critical for companies to keep abreast of the latest guidance issued by supervisory authorities in jurisdictions relevant to their businesses to ensure they comply with any local law guidance. READ MORE →

A Survival Guide for GDPR Enforcement Actions from a German Perspective – How to Assess and Mitigate Fines for GDPR Violations

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Chinese: GDPR 执法措施的德国生存指南—如何评估和减低违反GDPR的罚款

Since the first enforcement actions have been initiated, some with significant fines, many companies may find themselves somewhat at a loss as they may not fully know how to assess the risks involved and how to react should an enforcement action be initiated against them. Here we will give a high-level overview on risks and strategies in enforcement actions. READ MORE →

German regulator issues record fine for keeping personal data too long

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The Data Protection Supervisory Authority for the state of Berlin (Die Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit, “Supervisory Authority”) recently issued a fine for GDPR violations against Germany’s second largest housing company Deutsche Wohnen SE (“DW”) for retaining personal data without legal justification. The amount of the fine, EUR 14.5m, is the highest issued by a German Supervisory Authority for data protection infringements so far and the first to be in the millions. Germany is thus following the trend of increasing fines set by other EU Member States’ authorities, such as the UK, France and Austria in particular. READ MORE →